Recognizing the pre-existence of God’s Kingdom and Jesus’ authority as King raises an essential question: How can we participate in God’s ongoing Kingdom work?
This question contrasts sharply with common Boardroom inquiries such as “What is our mission?” or “What is our strategic plan?” Instead of inventing a mission, we are called to steward the one God has already begun. That means acknowledging God’s Kingdom predates our organizations and affirming that Jesus – not a president or Board – is the true leader of the seminary.
This mindset even reorients the hiring process. Rather than prioritizing candidates with narrowly defined “professional identities” and best practices imported from other sectors, we seek individuals who recognize God’s mission already at work and are eager to explore its unique expression in our context.
It also leads to another question: Can a mission ever be “fulfilled”? Can a seminary’s mission be “completed”? From a Kingdom perspective, the answer is yes. A school may close while God’s mission continues. While such closures involve loss, we must not confuse human grief with the larger unfolding of God’s work.
Each school has its own story, yet ATS data show that most students apply to only one institution, indicating that our primary challenge is not competition from peer schools but disengagement from theological education itself. My own thinking continues to shift away from pursuing a “unique mission” toward embracing God’s already unfolding mission.
And what is that mission? In a word: discipleship. (See Matthew 28 and Luke 4.)
- Brent C. Sleasman, President